Press Release

Michigan Municipal Executives: Ready for Anything

Statewide Organization Gets New Name, Branding, Website

KALAMAZOO, Michigan – Municipal Executives are hard at work all across Michigan, improving communities, and planning for the future. And now they have a new name and brand to guide them for years to come.

The organization representing city, county, township and village officials from throughout the state officially unveiled its new name – Michigan Municipal Executives (MME) – and branding today at its annual winter institute taking place this week in Kalamazoo. As part of the change, the organization also launched its new website – www.mme.org.

MME, formerly known as the Michigan Local Government Management Association (MLGMA), is a state affiliate of the International City/County Management Association (ICMA).

“We’re very excited about our new name and brand to help guide us in this challenging yet rewarding field of municipal management,” said Dale Kerbyson, MME president and Lapeer City Manager.

The purpose of MME is to foster and encourage the personal and professional development of its members to help them better serve their communities and to promote, encourage, and preserve high ethical standards for municipal executives, said Keith Van Beek, MME president-elect and Ottawa County Assistant County Administrator.

The Council-Manager form of government combines the strong political leadership of elected officials with the appointment of a professionally trained and experienced manager; it’s the fastest growing form of government in the United States today. It’s also the most prevalent – used by more cities, villages, townships, and counties than any other form.

The MME name change is a result of an ongoing multi-year rebranding effort initiated in early 2015 by the late Michael Young, City Manager of Rockford and the association’s past President.
According to 2015 Harris Poll data, less than half of the adults in the United States understand the role of a city, town, or county manager/chief administrative officer.

“Michigan Municipal Executives are dedicated to keeping communities running smoothly,” Van Beek said. “We are stewards of our cities, working in the background to make sure your home is highly livable, highly desirable, with a solid future. The rebranding initiative highlights our values of being optimistic, humble, driven, with the ability to adapt; while the new brand personality is founded on being confident, outgoing, informative, positive, and proud.”

Kerbyson added the new branding, along with the new mme.org website, aims to convey that municipal managers are the backbone of day to day operations and that they oversee every aspect of the municipality and take its successes or failures personally.

“Our intent is to share the story of professional local government management and to attract and recruit future professionals to serve our communities,” Kerbyson said. “Michigan communities are places where things happen and Municipal Executives are the ones leading the charge. A career in municipal management is for those people who care about giving back, who want to make a tangible difference in a community, for those driven individuals who want a purpose driven career.”

The purpose of Michigan Municipal Executives is to foster and encourage the personal and professional development of its members in order that they may better server their communities and to promote, encourage, and preserve high ethical standards for municipal administrators.